Clarinet Thing

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New York, New York!

September 10, 2014 in Beth Custer Ensemble, Clarinet Thing, My Grandmother live music to silent film, Uncategorized by Beth | Permalink

Hey there,
I’m thrilled to announce that The Beth Custer Ensemble and special guests will be performing in New York on November 22nd as part of the Pacific Film Archive’s Georgian Film Retrospective. I’ve launched a Hatchfund crowdfunding campaign to get us there. Please check out the prizes, there’s lots to choose from including having me play on your composition, receiving a stack of my CDs including my latest re-release of ‘Respect as a Religion’ and future release of ‘Aguaplano.’ Or you can come hear a concert with a couple of your friends in my studio! Every donation helps and none are too large!!

I attended Harvey Wainapel’s concert last Friday at the California Jazz Conservatory for his wonderful Amigos Brasileros Vol. 2 CD release party. It was a great evening of music. As most of you know, Harvey joined Clarinet Thing a few years ago and he’s contributed a few Brazilian compositions to the group. Clarinet Thing will be at our favorite venue, The Berkeley Hillside Club on October 17th. Our last Hillside concert sold out so get there early for an evening of completely acoustic clarinet heaven! We are poised to record another CD, our third after the critically acclaimed Cry, Want, and the earlier Agony Pipes and Misery Sticks.

More good news~ the poignant William Farley documentary film Plastic Man: The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish that I’ve been scoring for the past six months premieres at the Mill Valley Film Festival in Mill Valley on Sunday, October 5th at 2:30 and in San Rafael on Wednesday, October 8th at 5:30. I’m really proud of this project and hope you can make one of the screenings. I’ll be at both and I think there will be Q & A’s after each screening so you can harass me with compositional queries!

Thanks for reading this far and please consider donating to my Hatchfund. Think of all the Beth Custer releases you can give as gifts for the whole millennia!

Yours,
Beth

Stop and Smell the Roses

July 17, 2014 in Beth Custer Ensemble, Clarinet Thing, Freight & Salvage, Stephen Kent/Trance Mission, Uncategorized by Beth | Permalink

Lots to report, folks, thanks for checking in…hope you’re having a lovely summer.
I’m heading out soon to an annual yoga retreat in the Sierras, much needed respite from city life.

The Beth Custer Ensemble is working on a new CD, as yet untitled (‘Pants I Rode In On’?), for fall release. The fabulous Jeff Cressman is at the helm recording. We’re lucky to catch him home from the road, he’s often touring with Santana. Jeff is a dream to work with. He’s easy going, has a great sense of humor, and big ears, as musicians say to compliment other musicians!

Looking forward to our upcoming Freight show, August 9th, 8pm. This is a Respect as a Religion CD re-release party (as opposed to a ‘re-pressed’ party!). Long out of print, BC Records is re-issuing this fab CD with it’s underground hit ‘Empire of the United States’
composed in response to all the lies surrounding the 2003 invasion of Iraq and against imperialism in general. I figure it’s a good time to re-press….since nothing seems to change in that realm of things!

Looking further ahead into the future…my wonderful clarinet quartet, Clarinet Thing will be making a rare appearance October 17th at our favorite venue, the Berkeley Hillside Club. Mark your calendars and more deets on that soon.

Also working on a new CD with Trance Mission Trio. We’re hoping to get some fall dates so stay in touch about that. You can sign up on our FB page, like us, send us gifts even!

I’m winding up my latest freelance composing job for a documentary by a great filmmaker, Bill Farley. Watch here for details mid August as to it’s release date/place.

Ciao for now, lovely summer one and all,
Beth

Thank you everyone for a sold out weekend!

April 15, 2013 in AXIS Dance Company, Clarinet Thing, Club Foot Orchestra by Beth | Permalink

Thanks to all of you who came out to this past weekend’s performances of AXIS Dance Company’s 25th Anniversary premiere of If Then, Would You choreographed beautifully by Vic Marks. The score I created with my trio of Jan Jackson, David James and myself can be heard and purchased here:

http://thebethcusterensemble.bandcamp.com/album/what-if-would-you

And thanks to all of you who came out to Club Foot Orchestra’s premiere of Richard Marriott’s score to the revised 140 minute silent film Metropolis by Fritz Lang at SF Jazz Festival. After thirty years of performing with CFO, I hope we can finally tour Europe with this one.

Upcoming shows include Clarinet Thing on May 10th at Old First Church. June 1 & 2 come hear my new score for Roco Dance’s production of Peter Pan for 150 teenagers at the Marin Center. I’ll be performing solo at SF Jazz on June 15th in their Church of the Advent.

See you at one or all of these this upcoming month and thanks again.

Cheers,

Beth